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Half a century ago, Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans first codified cryptozoology in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals.

The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) are still on the track, and have been since 1992. But as if chasing unknown animals wasn't enough, we are involved in education, conservation, and good old-fashioned natural history! We already have three journals, the largest cryptozoological publishing house in the world, CFZtv, and the largest cryptozoological conference in the English-speaking world, but in January 2009 someone suggested that we started a daily online magazine! The CFZ bloggo is a collaborative effort by a coalition of members, friends, and supporters of the CFZ, and covers all the subjects with which we deal, with a smattering of music, high strangeness and surreal humour to make up the mix.

It is edited by CFZ Director Jon Downes, and subbed by the lovely Lizzy Bitakara'mire (formerly Clancy), scourge of improper syntax. The daily newsblog is edited by Corinna Downes, head administratrix of the CFZ, and the indexing is done by Lee Canty and Kathy Imbriani. There is regular news from the CFZ Mystery Cat study group, and regular fortean bird news from 'The Watcher of the Skies'. Regular bloggers include Dr Karl Shuker, Dale Drinnon, Richard Muirhead and Richard Freeman.The CFZ bloggo is updated daily, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere else. Come and join us...

Swamp GhostThe Biddeford Weekly of 2nd April 1926 investigated the report of ‘Sisters Terrified By The Tales Related By Caretaker’. Local man and warden of Mystic, Connecticut, George Denison was on the track of a monster said to have been responsible for molesting two young women, Mildred and Muriel Miner whilst they were at home at their farmhouse. The 2,000 acre estate included the Taugwank swamp.

Since the death of their father the previous year, the girls, who’d been left the farmhouse, ‘reported that a fear inspiring figure, scarce human in appearance, lurked about the house, danced on the summit of a rock 300 feet from the door, and uttered cried like those of an infant. The women told the newspaper at the time that they felt as though they were being forced to sell the farmhouse and the warden commented that the object of his search was to settle once and for all the rumours that a “strange creature” had been seen in the swamp.

He said: “If there is any trace of a strange freak of nature about I may reasonably be expected to uncover its tracks.”

A caretaker at the farmhouse named Frank Miller eventually resigned from his post stating that the tales of the beast were too terrifying for him to handle. However, the girls blamed the caretaker for their growing fear of the outside world stating: “Every time a blind blew with the wind or the coal shed door squeaked he persisted in saying it was a ghost. When the strange creature was first seen we told Miller it was a real ghost. He was so frightened that his teeth chattered and his knees knocked together.”

A Monster Of Many ColoursThe Washington Observer of November 13th 1906 reported ‘Giant Beast Had Eyes Like Moons And Wore Horns’ after a terrifying encounter took place in Winsted, Conn, on 12th November. A J.E. Law had three horrifying experiences described as follows: “As I entered the woods at Indian Lake a mammoth animal, the size of an elephant, white as snow, with eyes like two moons ad horns like a reindeer, rose up in my path. I gave one yell and the mysterious thing vanished as quickly as it appeared without making any noise. Reaching the old ore pit on the crest of the hill at the state line, where the Moravian missionaries were massacred by the Indians many years ago, the same apparition loomed up in my path, but this time it was as red as fire with eyes glaring like two block signals. I shut my eyes, shrieked, and when I looked for the red monster he was gone. When near the watering tub at Hazzard place, Sharon, the hideous giant rose up again. This time the monster was so black I could just discern its outlines by two green searchlights. I must have fainted from fright, for when I recovered my senses it was daylight and my clothes were still damp from perspiration and my hair white where it was a jet black before.”

Richard Muirhead should be pleased: I took special care to shoehorn this in as soon as possible.Back to Raheel Mughal's list again for the next week; this entry was a minor detour because I thought it needed to be said.

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